Improvement in machinery for the manufacture of ice



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. DUVALL, OF GEORGETOWN, DISTItICT OF COLUMBIA.

' Specicationtorming part of Letters Patent No. 105,924, dated August 2, 1870.

To all whom it may concern: f Be itxl known that. I, WM. T. DUvALL,of

'Georgetown, in Washington county and District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Manufacturing Ice 5 and I do hereby declare that the following'ls afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being'had Ito the accompanying drawings, through letters of x'feference` marked thereon, forming `part of this specification, and inAwhich Figure l 1s a' side elevation of my apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section.; Fi-g. 3 isa vertical transverse .sec-V tion, taken as indicated bythe line :rare-on Fig. 1,.looking lin'direction 'of the arrowl on said i ligure. Fig. 4 is avvertical 'longitudinal' section through the compressing portion .of my The same letters occurring on the several iigures indicate like parts throughout. My invention Vrelates to that class of, ma-

' chinery in .whichintensity of cold is produced l by the successivecompression, refrigeration, and expansion of atmospherieair, in -which class ot' machinery much difficulty has been experienced in 'compressing all the air received within the compression-chambers-or, in other words,in preventing leakage ofthe compressed airwhereby a great loss ofthe freezing-agent 'is sustained afterconsiderable power had been expended upon it.` Y

To prevent this 'loss and waste of power is' the main object of myinveution, -which consists in so arranging the valvesA and plungers of the compression-chambers that they may be at all times water-sealed, whereby, if leakage does'occur, it is that of water, and not of compressed air, the water used for this purpose also serving to absorb much of the heat generated by the compressing of the air, and

thus preparing the'latterfor expansiom v Another feature of my invention consists in the application to the radiator and tothe'freezf.'

ing-chamber of automaticpressure, waste,and

gage valves, for the purposefof discharging from said vessels the water or surplus thereof that has lbeen carried over with .the air, and Y V,at the same time'retaining sufficient thereof to prevent the escape of the air.

e The invention also embraces other peculiarities of construction, `which w1l1 be more minutely described hereinafter.

. Referring-to the drawings, A represents the compressing apparatus, consisting of two pairs of cylinders, B B', having plungers C C' and valves D D. These-plungers are causedto reciprocate ,alternately by their pitmen a a', connected with the rocking beams E E' on independent rock-shafts F F by any suitable powerv applied to the levers G G', the operap' tiourof `which will be more fully described hereinafter.' .This compressing apparatus is connected with the radiator or condenser I by a pipe, H. passing'-from the chamber of the valves D at the upper end of the pair of cylinders B', and down under and into the bttom of saidv condenser, which, as represented, consists' of a rectangular chamber having a4 vseries of pipes or air-dues, J, Passing through, so as to afford a large amount of 'radiatingsurface. This condenser is furthermore provided witha vsiphompipe, K, and valve L, by

which, the escape may be regulated. Thev Vpipe-M forms a passage for the air from the upper part of the condenser I into the lower parti-oi` the freezing-chamber N ,after all `the heat produced by its compression has radi! atedfrm it. At the end of this the air-is restrained a weighted valve, Q, through" which it passes, only at a given pressure, into the freezing-chamber N, where it expands and absorbs the heat from the water in the pans P, which fare arranged upon ledges e on the inner sides of said chamber, and which pans" are removable at pleasure `by opening the doors A d in the side. A perforated diaphragm or vfalse-top, f, is inserted in the upper part of the chamber N, which causes the air vto be diffused through the entire space, and checks its too rapid escape through the exit'valves g while the water inthe pans Pis being frozen. This diaphragm fniay be dispensed with -by substituting for the large valves g a' series of smaller ones distributed over the entire top of the cramber N, so as to diffuse the air in said acrss-their bottoms, both to increase the sur-vv 2 l l resume l face to be acted on and toffacilitate the removal of the blocks when frozen.

The operation of the machine will then be as follows: The plungers C U being caused to reciprocate in their respective cylinders by motion communicated through the rock-shafts F, levers E, and pitmen e a', and air being supplied to the cylinders B through the ingress-pipe It, which also receives a small continuous supply of water in any convenient manner, they (the air and water) tlow together in direction ofthe arrow on Fig. 4, into and through the passage 7c communicating .with the valves l, which alternately open and allow such aeratediluid to Lpass through apertures mand an annular series of orifices, n, in the bottom of the cylinders B B, Iinto said cylinders alternately, in accordance with the direction in which the pistons of the respective cylinders are moving. 1 In practical operation it is intended that the supply of water introduced with the air shall be a fraction more 'than sufficient to keep the said cylinders full' when the pistons are at their highest point, so that there may be surplus waterl at each stroke of the piston after the air has been expelled from said cylinder to pass the valve D and keep it water-sealed. 'Ih us, in the con tinnous reoiprocationsof the pistons, a volume of air equal to the area ofthe projection ofthe piston will be forced through the 'val ve D and conveyed from its chamber through the pipe S, into the channel i, which communicates, through the passage j, with the valves l, and they, respectively, with the cylinders B Bl, through `apertures mf and annular series of orifices-1L in the bottom ofsaid cylinders, the pistons of which operate on the air, previously compressed in the cylinders B, to still further increase its temperature in the same manner, it being always understood that sufficient quantity of water is supplied with the air, through the ingress-pipe It, to keep each of the cylinders B B full when its respective plunger is at its greatest elevation, and a surplus to flow through to water-seal the upper valves, D D. From the chamber of the valves D the air and surplus water are forced through the pipe II, which is connected with a pan or pocket, T, formed in the bottom of the radiator I, into said radiator, which may be con. structed, as represented, with a series of ilucs, J, passing through it, or in any other manner to obtain the largest amount of exterior radiating surface. From the upper part of this radiator I the compressed air, which has radiated a large portion of the heat produced by its compression, is conducted through the pipe M into the lower portion of the freezingchamber N. 'lhe mouth or discharge-orifice of the pipe M, however, is provided with a valve, Q, cont-rolled by a weighted lever, to prevent the passage ofthe air below a certain l required pressure.

'Ihe air, which has previously been heated .by compression in the compressing apparatus A, and while under compression in the chamber I, having radiated sucliaccumulated heat, is allowed to expand, and thereby further reduce its temperature in the freezing-chamber N, where a number of the vessels or pans, I, filled with water, are arranged. The air thus reduced in temperature absorbs the'calorc of the water, which at once congeals, forming ice. .y

It is obvious that the radiator or condenser I would become iilled with water instead of air if there was no provision for the escape or discharge of the former eircept through the pipe .M into thefreeziug-chamher N. I there forev provide a siphon-pipe, K. closed at its lower extremity by a weighted valve,.L, and arranged at the bottom of said radiator, to receive and pass oif the Water thrown over with. the air into v this chamber. The discharge of said `pipe Mis Yalso controlled by a weighted valve, Q, at or near the bottom of the rcfrig'- erator. j These valves beingbothweighted and subject tothe same amount of pressure from the compressed air in the radiator I, and having two distinct. functions to perform--that 1s .to sap-the one Q, .to allow thel passage of the air from the radiator when it obtains a given pressure, and the one L to rem ain closed under the same-pressure, but yet be capable of opening automatically whenever an accumulation of water obtains in said radiator. To accomplish this object'I extend the siphon K downward, say, nine feet, so that the two valves shall vary that amount in their respective levels or elevations, said valves being of the same area. -If the valve Qin the refrigeratorshould be found to require a weight of one hundred and forty pounds (140 lbs.) to retain .it in position against the elastic force of the air, the other would require the same, provided there was no water in the siphon or the radiator; but suppose the siphon to be filled With water drained from the radiator to the height of nine feet above the level of its valve,

then the valve L would require to be WeightedV to one hundred and forty-four pounds (144 lbs.) to retain it in its position, owing to the weight of the column of Water in the siphon. It is obvious, therefore, that if the column of water in the siphon exceeds in weight the difference between the loads on the two valves,

the valve L will open and allow the excess vof i water to pass olf, while the valve Q is either closed or passing air at the desired pressure into the refrigerator.

The air admitted through thc valve Q into the refrigerator having performed its function in absorbing the heat from the water in the pans Pis allowed to escape through the valve or valves g. These valves are loaded just sufcient to keep them closed when the internal and external pressure are equal, or nearly so, to prevent the ingress of air at the ordinary atmospheric temperature into the refrigerator. Having thus described my invention, what I desire to sccureby Letters I-atent is- 1. The arrangement of a pump or pumps with relation to their supply and discharge apertures in such mannerfthat both air and water may be admittedandall the air ejected, while a sufficient portion of the Water Will be retained Within the severl compartments to water-seal all thevalves and joints, substantiolly in the manner specified.

2. In an air-compressing apparatus, the introduction of Water With the air for the absorption of a portion of the caloric produced by such compression, and to prevent heating' of the apparatus, substantially as set forth.

3. The methodherein described of discharging the water from the radiator by means essentially as set forth. v

4. In combination with the compressing apparatus, operating as described, the'radiator Witnesses:

SYDNEY E. SMITH, W. MORRIS SMITH; 

